Is anyone aware of a maximum amount of beano per day that’s safe? I haven’t been able to find anything online, was wondering if maybe anyone here has come across something. I have to take 2-3 each time I drink Soylent, and I usually have 4-5 small “meals” instead of three.

I’m using a generic which has 4 times the active ingredient in each pill (Alpha-galactosidase enzyme 600 GALU) I’m putting 6 of these in a pitcher. I’ve used more than that at times (9 pills per pitcher). I’m not sure if at some point adding more is doing anything.

My Beano bottle clearly indicates “For a typical meal, swallow or chew 2-3 tablets right before your first bite of problem food”. You obviously didn’t read it and decided to start a thread instead. Well done…

My Beano bottle clearly indicates “For a typical meal, swallow or chew 2-3 tablets right before your first bite of problem food”. You obviously didn’t read it and decided to start a thread instead. Well done…

That doesn’t say anything about the maximum amount you should take. You obviously didn’t read the first post in the thread. Well done.

He’s talking about the maximum safe dosage, not the recommended or “typical” dosage. Beano directions are vague because the amount you need to consume directly relates to the serving size and chemical composition of the food you are about to eat.

I was unable to find any information on the maximum safe dosage, but something for consideration: Beano’s active ingredient is a digestive enzyme naturally produced by the body (alpha-galactosidase) which acts as a catalyst with your food to assist in digestion. It has no nutritional value and if there is nothing for the enzyme to react with then it will do nothing, meaning that the maximum safe dosage will most likely be very high.

It’s worth taking caution if you have liver or kidney disease, and it should be avoided if you are diabetic as it could increase blood sugar levels. It should be completely avoided if you have galactosemia.

Thanks @nwoll27. I was thinking about it from the perspective of my time as a vegetarian - after some time of not eating meat, it was very hard to digest properly for some time once I started eating it again, supposedly because my body quit making the enzymes necessary. I was wondering if potentially using the alpha galactosidase all the time could cause my body to quit producing its own, or throw something else out of whack.

I was wondering if potentially using the alpha galactosidase all the time could cause my body to quit producing its own

That’s an interesting angle I hadn’t thought of (I was thinking purely of toxicity).

I don’t think it would make an appreciable difference, and if it did your body would probably recover relatively quickly (just as it does when you start eating meat again, though obviously it’s a rough transition). I think the mechanism for supporting enzyme production is sufficiently separated from the presence of enzymes in your body that you would continue producing them, and the Beano would simply be supplementary. There are a LOT of complex carbs in your Soylent.

[This site][1] has a few quotes that should put you at ease. Regarding safety:

Supplemental enzymes perform very specific activities (amylase breaks down carbohydrates, lipase breaks down fats, protease breaks down protein). Unlike certain vitamins, minerals and herbs, there is no upper limit (or threshold) to the amount of supplemental enzymes that can be consumed. The reason for this is that the body has an estimated 100 trillion cells. Any one of those cells could be using thousands of different enzymes every second. This allows for huge quantities to be used by the body without overdosing.

And regarding the production of enzymes:

Supplemental enzymes support normal body organ function without replacing its effective working ability. We like to compare it to a raw food diet that is rich in enzymes. No one suggests eating raw food would inhibit the body’s natural production of digestive enzymes. The fact is the body will continue to manufacture the enzymes needed to benefit from food; supplemental digestive enzymes simply aid the digestive process.

Right, I’ve had the same concerns. I’m using generic Beano with twice the active ingredients, and I usually take two with a 600cal bottle of Soylent. In other words, the equivalent of 4 Beano tablets. If I do this a few times a day, that means I’m consuming the equivalent of 12 Beano tablets per day, which seems like a lot.

So yeah, I think this thread raises some valuable questions: clearly some of us have had the same concerns.

Guys, it seems this guy more than not answered it. It doesn’t give the maximum allowed or say if your body weakens it’s ability to produce it’s own enzymes but based on the website he gives it does seem to not really be mentioned. In fact, beano may not even do anything:

"Therapeutic Uses

Although alpha-galactosidase is widely marketed as an over-the-counter treatment to prevent intestinal gas , there is only limited evidence that it really works. In two preliminary double-blind, controlled trials enrolling a total of 39 people, use of alpha-galactosidase along with a meal of beans significantly reduced symptoms of excess gas. 2,3 Two other relevant trials were also small, and suffered from significant design flaws. 3,4 Larger and more strictly designed studies will be necessary to determine whether alpha-galactosidase is truly an effective treatment for reducing intestinal gas."

The only health issue seems to be against those with Diabetes as it has a way of causing sugar spikes but apparently only for those with diabetes, but that is about it.